Making Things Better, No Matter the Cost
by Yosenity
Summary: Brainwashing doesn't work on everyone. But no one thought that one of the brightest Apprentice's of the Soltryce Academy and the Cerberus Assembly would decide to turn her back on the Dwendallian Empire and risk everything to expose some of their darkest secrets. Fate has a funny way of bringing those who need each other together but can she trust such secrets to "The Mighty Nein"?
1. Shelter from the Rain

A short side quest for Critical Role's "The Mighty Nein". Spoiler's for up to episdoe 37.

This story is dedicated to the cast of Critical Role. It might seem silly, but your joy, friendships, love, and dedication are infectious and keep me and thousands of other Critter's inspired and creative. Thank you for the time you have poured into making Critical Role what it is and the immense amount of joy you all spread. Thank you for keeping me inspired to keep striving to be the best creative artist I can be. Thank you for making me laugh and be joyful when I desperately needed it the most. A million thank you's isn't enough for all the work, fun and play that has gone into making the Critical Role and CR community what it is. So, from all the critter's out there, thank you!

For context, this story is set during the summer of 836 P.D. Since, canonically, The Mighty Nein are dealing with Captian Avantika and Fjord's Patron in the Menagrie Coast as of right now, I decided to place this short, fan-made adventure after all that pirating when the group will make their way back to the Empire and into Zadash. Critical Role is only up to episode 37 at the beginning of writing this adventure so a lot is still unknown about the Empire and the Cerberus Academy as of right now. This is my fun attempt/take on the mysteries that still lurk in the shadows. I hope you enjoy!

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Rain wracked the windows of the Leaky Tap Tavern on an unusually stormy summers night. The clinking of glass, jingle of coin, sloshing of liquid, and hearty laughter filled the large main hall. Because of the rain, the tavern was full with patrons hiding from the winds and looking relief from the day. There wasn't a single free table in the room. It was the perfect place to hide, at least for tonight. Taking up one of the coveted stools at the bar, sat a Elven woman, her hood still pulled up around her, sipping on the cheapest ale that was on tap. While seemingly lost in her own thoughts, she was actually listening intently to the crowd around her. The tension held her shoulders and legs at attention, ready to bolt at the first sign of trouble. After many hours, however, it seemed as if she was in the clear.

Her eyelids felt heavy as she grew bored with the current conversation she was eavesdropping on. A group of younger human boys were busy trying to one up each other in their political argument while the two adults they were with were trying their best to just enjoy their card game. Most on the conversations were like this; petty, personal, uninteresting, and not of any importance. This was a good sign for her though, that meant that news hadn't spread or at least the public wasn't aware of anything wrong.

Her gaze focused on the reflection that looked back at her in the honey brown liquid. She looked exhausted, with heavy bags under her lavender eyes which made her look a decade older than her 32 years. She snorted and wiped her nose with the side of her sleeve, an action she was sure her mother would have been completely appalled with but that didn't matter… Her mother would be appalled with many things she had decided to do lately. A hefty sigh escaped her lungs as she cradled her head in her hands. What was she supposed to do now? Continue south? Go to the coast? Catch a boat and sail to anywhere but here? Cross the border? She couldn't run forever. She needed to give this information to someone! But who could she trust? Everyone she thought could be trusted were gone, fakes, devious. She could return to her family but she was sure that her Mother would probably return everything she worked so hard to obtain just to save her own skin. What about Father's? She didn't want to burden him or his new family with this though. They were but simple gypsy's who had nothing to do with the Empire. She really wish she had thought this plan through…

Her thoughts seemed to swirl around the black gemstone that decorated her finger she had been fidgeting with. She had been lucky, too lucky. So many of her friends had died during this plan of theirs. This stupid plan of theirs. They had all wanted to make a difference! To discover the secrets that had been buried away. It had seemed like such a good plan, but they were but a small group of 5 mages… too make matters worse, Hannah was the one with all the contacts! She should have this information! Not her… but Hannah was probably just a pile of ashes now…

How in the god's names she made it to Zadash was anyones guess, including her own. She had managed to steal from sleeping traveller's, hitch rides, slowly make her way through swamp, forest, and rain. She counted the blessing that she didn't have to scourge for food or look that hard for shelter even if she had to admit she was sick of berries for the rest of her years. It hadn't been easy, her feet probably unrecognizable as feet with all the cuts and calluses she had sustained after her shoes had been destroyed crossing the swamp. Yes, it had been lucky she could pickpocket unsuspecting sleepers on the road. She had enough coin to at least pay for a new set of clothes, and a place to stay for now.

With a huge swig front her tankard, she polished off her ale and called the bar tender over. The portly Dragonborn came over, his wide smile lifting a bit of the clouds that darkened her heart. His Golden eyes met hers as he took her empty cup.

"Yes Miss? Another round for ya?"

"Please Wessek, that'd be fantastic." she replied, a small smile escaping the corners of her mouth as Wessek's smile infected her.

The dragon born nodded jovially as he ducked behind the counter to fetch a clean cup. As his snow white form re-emerged with a newly foaming beverage, she noticed his eyes scan over the clientele. Following suit, she stole a quick glance around the overflowing tavern. Most of the patrons were rough, hardworking people. Her best guess were that these folk were store owners, black-smithies, maybe even farmers.

"Always this crowded?" she asked lively as she turned back to Wessek's friendly face.

He shrugged in response as he kept cleaning her old cup, "It depends, lately it's been pretty lively but I think thats because the new graduates and their families are celebrating." He chuckled as he brought his gaze back down to the lithe Elf below him. "I guess when you're holed up in a building being forced to read and practice all day, one would be willing and ready to celebrate getting out of there."

She joined in his laughter as she brought the foaming cup to her lips, "I suppose so. You've never been one for schooling?" Her tone stayed jokingly, almost as if she was making fun of the idea of school.

At this, Wessek's chuckle darkened as some untold memories flashed in his eyes, "Naw, I've always been a hands on type of man myself."

She nodded and raised her cup in agreement. "I'll drink to that!"

Wessek raised the tankard he was still cleaning in response, giving her a broad smile. Their conversation was abruptly interrupted as the door swung violently opened again. She turned over her shoulder, joining with the rest of the crowd to see the new bodies to pack the tavern. A group of seven came lumbering through the door, soaked to the bone from the storm outside and tracking in some of the mud from their boots. The smallest of them struggled to close the door against the wind. Most of the patrons returned to their business after the door had shut but she kept her keen eyes on them as they lowered their hoods. They were a colorful group to say the least, nothing like she had ever seen, at least not all together. A circus array of a group to be sure; a giant grey firbolg with bring pink hair, a woman almost as white as Wessek with blackened hair and a giant sword slung across her back, a giddy bright blue tiefling in a girly dress, a green half orc who looked extremely uncomfortable being soaked, a manly looking girl dressed in loose blue robes sporting half a shaved head, what appeared to be a sick looking halfling girl, and a muddied man with relish brown hair but she couldn't tell if the brown was natural or from the dirt.

They were a motley crew to say the least.

"They do look a bit strange don't they."

She was pulled out of her investigation by Wessek's warm but gruff voice. She turned back face him, taking another swing from her cup.

"Ya they are." She shrugged while wiping away foam with her sleeve, "Haven't seen such a colorful display of folks. Think they're hired?"

Wessek didn't answer immediately which caused her to look up from the counter. He was still eyeing the newcomers, watching them as they searched around the tavern for a place. Is brows furrowed as if he was trying to remember something.

"What's wrong Wessek? Those guys peacock ruffians or something?" She didn't wait to see if her joke landed as she took another drink.

She had been staying at the Leaky Tap for a few days now, waiting for the weather to die down. Wessek was the only person she really talked to and became friends with and, as far as she knew, he had never been confused by customers. They weren't regulars, she would have seen them at some point. It was also unusual for Wessek to not remember good patrons. Her leg muscles tensed once more.

After a few seconds, the dragon born finally let out a sigh of realization and his grin grew wider.

"Ah! It's been a while since this lot was here!" He set down the now clean cup and got out 6 matching tankards and began filling them, almost expecting there order.

She took another sip.

"You know the circus over there?" she asked while slyly pulling her hood further up her head.

"Oh that's right! My apologizes, I should have known that you wouldn't know who they are. These fine folk," He nodded toward the group, "they call themselves The Mighty Nein. They're the champions of the Victory Pit of last years Harvest Close festival."

Wessek flashed his yellow dragon eyes at her as he kept filling, "But they do look like a bunch of circus performers don't they?" He flashed her a small toothy grin as he acknowledged her tease.

She returned the joking smirk as she stole another look at the group, who were now making they're way slowly through the thick crowd. With one more glance up and down, she turned her disbelieving eyes back to Wessek.

"Them? Champions?"

He simply shrugged in response as he pushed the cups forward and asked a few patrons to scoot down to make some room at the bar, "I know right? It's a bit hard to believe but they indeed defeat many monsters in the victory pit last year. I was just as shocked as you are."

The group was approaching the bar and she didn't need to turn around to know this. They were loud. The blue one seeming to be the cheerleader of the group as she tried to keep talking to her companions.

"I promise you guys, this is a REALLY cool spell! The Traveller was teaching me it the whole way here and I promise, it's pretty amazing! I'll make sure to show you in our room!" Her voice was adorably pure. Full of joy, almost like a child who was just told they could have desert. She was a constant flow of information. She was a mage as well apparently with a 'teacher' named The Traveller. Interesting.

"Let's just make sure there are rooms left. This place seems pretty full." She wasn't sure who this voice belonged to but it was deep with a thick southerners accent. If she has to take a gander at the owner, it probably belonged to the firbolg or the half orc.

"Oh, I sure hope they do. It'd be nice to relax and have a hot meal." This voice was deep as well but more silky in nature. Soothing. Scratch her last assessment, this voice had to belong to the pink haired firbolg.

She didn't think it was possible to be even louder than the crowd but somehow this group was finding a way. Rolling her eyes in playful manner toward Wessek, she took another swig as he moved a bit to the side to greet them. When they reached the bar, she had to scoot to the side as the sheer volume of bodies swarmed the small area. Eavesdropping wasn't the most polite habit to form but as they were right next to here, it was hard not to pay attention to their conversation.

"Wessek!" The bubbly voice of the blue tiefling rang out as one of the cups disappeared from her view. As she continued to sip from her cup, Wessek was the only person as could really see. His eyes smiled kindly upon them as he scooted the cups towards the rest.

"Jester!" His low voice boomed out in joy, "Good to see you're all back in Zadash! I'm assuming you'll be needing rooms?"

"Ya. I'm not sleeping in the rain another night." A new, very agitated, voice piped up from the group. Still feminine in tone but it gravely and low. The manliest woman voice she had ever heard. Another cup disappears from her view.

The dragon born lets out a low laugh, "You all do look like you could use a good nap. Alright, how many rooms? The usual of 3?"

"That be great Wessek, thank you." The southern's accent once more as two drinks vanished from her sight. The jingling of metal joins the noisy air as Wessek began to thumb through his ring of keys, eventually pulling off the 3 that are closest to each other and passing them over to the group.

"Normal fee." he says with a smile. She watches his hand instinctively go up as if to silence an oncoming rebuttal, "I know your returning customers but we are under new management and the fee is the fee unless they say otherwise. I'm sorry."

A very disappointed, girly sigh followed by a moan came as a response.

"We understand. We don't want to give the new boss the wrong impression of us." The southern's voice once more, however he didn't seem to be fully talking to Wessek as his sound was now pointed slightly to the side. She could only assume he was throwing daggers down at the blue girl who, she could imagined, was pouting.

"Of course, of course. You're more than welcome to talk with them in the morning if you wish. Same office, same floor, different person." Wessek dipped his head in a quick nod as he bowed out of the conversation, moving onto other patrons who rudely barking for refills.

Water was now being splashed onto the floor as one of the group was ringing out their clothing, "Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm beat. I could use a nice bath and a warm bed." The gruff woman's voice chided before taking a brief pause, "Care to join me, Yasha?"

Her voice sounded slightly hopeful as she heard one body move closer to another. Well this conversation was definitely more fun to eavesdrop on.

A slight sigh responded in turn, "I will return to the room in a bit, I want to enjoy the storm a bit more." A new voice, more gentle, soft-spoken. If she had to guess, this softer voice belonged to woman in blue robes while the gruffer one belonged to tall white one.

"Ok sure, ya, I get it. You're all about storms. You like watch 'em, being with 'em, becoming one with 'em. Alright, well then I'll see you when you get back. Night guys." The owner of the gruff voice began to walk off before pausing directly behind her, "Jester, you coming?"

"Oh, um… Nott and I were thinking about going to the Pillow Trove to see if… um… my mom had sent another package!" the bubbly, girly voice once more, but more methodical, almost as if she was choosing her words.

"Yes! We must see if her mother sent another package! And I just thought the Pillow Trove was so beautiful I'd love to see it in the rain…" Again a new voice, small and a bit high pitched. She assumed this was the halfling girl, Nott, since the voice's direction came from below her stool.

A sigh from the gruff one, "You want to go now? It's raining like fuck outside?! Can't it wait till morning?"

An awkward pause, she could tell the duo were thinking hard, trying to find some excuse to still go on their mission. She had to agree with the gruff voice, why would they want to make the twenty minute trek to the Pillow Trove during this rain. Granted, the rain had let up from the buckets it was pouring earlier but it was still far from walking weather.

"I asked my mom for something special and I really can't wait to see if it got here! They know us Beau so it'll be fine! And, if the weather gets worse, I'll just get a room there!" There was an undeniable excitement in the bubbly ones tone. What ever was in this package must has been something pretty amazing.

"And I'm going to make sure she's not alone! We should always stick together!" The high pitch voice of Nott chimed.

Another pause, she could only imagine that the group was eyeing them with curiosity. Another sip. These two were hiding something, at least thats what she assumed. With only their voices to go off of, she couldn't be completely positive, but she knew people. She knew when someone was trying to hide. That's what they had trained her for.

"If you're so insistent," once more a new voice, this one coming from the man who was nearest to her. His tone was smooth as well but softer, more apologetic. But it was his accent that had caught her attention. Zemnian. She hadn't heard that accent in many moons. "Yasha, would you mind tagging along with them since you want to enjoy the weather anyway?"

"Ya, I don't see why not." the soft-spoken woman answered.

A dismissive noise came from behind her, "If you guys want to go get soaked go right ahead, but I'm heading up to bed. Deuces? Fjord? Caleb?"

"Ya, I'm going to retire myself. My muscles are aching real bad and, if you wouldn't mind Caduceus, I really need you to look over this bite from that wolf pack we encountered… It's been burning and I want to make sure it's not infected or some shit like that." The owner of the southern accent began to move behind her as well, heading for the stairs.

"Of course my friend, of course. I'll also make this really great herbal tea which will warm you right up." The soothing voice answered as the trio began their journey up to their rooms. As they passed behind her, she quickly stole a glance at them from under her hood. She could now properly see a handsome green half-orc giving a weaken smile up at the pink haired firbolg Caduceus, who, in turn, returned it with his own comforting one. Where she expected to see the pale woman, instead she saw the girl with blue robes and a half shaved head. Her lips curled slightly in surprised, she had been wrong. The gruff voice belonged to her then.

 _Interesting._ She thought as she took another sip.

As they ascended the stairs, she couldn't help but notice that they all looked a bit bruised and worn. Almost as if they still hadn't fully recovered from a scuffle they had managed to win, or lose. Her attention was once again pulled to the remaining four as the Zemnian spoke once more.

"Are you sure you want to go out there? You know the danger…" His voice was now little more than a sharp whisper as it came from a lower placement than it had originally.

"I know, but I-" the halfling named Nott began but was cut off by the bubbly blue one. Jester being the name that Wessek had called her.

"Caleb she'll be fine! I'll protect her and so will The Traveller! We'll come straight back! Be gone no longer than an hour!"

A small grumble of worry came from the Zemnian man as another short pause over took the group. As she sipped some more, the rustling of clothes met her ears.

"Don't worry, I promise to bring them both back safely." The soft voice of the woman she deduced was named Yasha came to comfort the Zemnian now identified as Caleb. She still couldn't imagine such a soft hushed voice coming from a a huge mountain of a woman.

Another pause but this one was much shorter as Caleb straightened himself and finally took a cup from the counter. "Ok, just be careful ja? Keep you're head down and let these two take the lead. Keep your fingers to yourself…" His voice grew a bit darker and serious on his last statement and there was a rustle of fabric, what she could only imagine was the halfling nodding.

"I promise. I'll come right back and I'll make sure to protect these two."

"WOOHOO! Let's go, let's go, let's go! The sooner we go the sooner were back and then poor Caleb doesn't need to worry any longer than he needs too!" With that, a small 'oof' from Nott, Jester hurried out of the Leaky Tap Tavern in a flurry with Nott flailing behind her. Yasha sighed and, after taking a moment to readjust her straps that held her sword, patted Caleb on the shoulder before hurrying out into the rain.

Caleb sighed once more as he returned to leaning on the bar. He polished off his drink quickly and as he turned around, he grabbed for one of the two remaining drinks that Wessek had poured. Amongst all the glamour of the bustling tavern, Caleb spoke not a word. She found it nice to sit next to someone where she didn't have to be bombarded by their conversation. She could just be for the first time this evening. Lifting her head slightly to her left, her hood retracted just enough for her to gain a better look at the Zemnian.

His damp brownish-red hair clung to the sides of his smooth features. A small beard was beginning to unevenly grow from his chin. His clothes weren't worse for wear, a bit tattered and mud splattered but nothing she didn't expect from someone who had been camping out in the rain for an unknown amount of days. However, his coat defiantly had a northern's vibe to it with the dirtied wool that made up the lining. His hole-y grey scarf hung loosely around his neck and it hung to right above his knees. Following it's line she was able to get a look at the coats inner pockets as he leaned forward on the bar. There had to be hundred's of hidden pockets and pouches that lined the inside. Some spilling over with candy, herbs, sticks, small jars, and what looked to be a giant diamond, it was hard to tell for sure. A hefty buckle bound book hanging from his waist belt concealed the rest. She returned her gaze to his face which, like his friends, was covered in bruises. His ice blue eyes had deep bags underneath them, reflecting her own exhaustion. Even in his beaten and tired way, there was a handsome man hidden under that mud. As she sipped some more of her diminishing drink, she couldn't help but find his face familiar.

He seemed to feel her gaze on him for those icy eyes snapped onto her own lavender ones. As sudden as his movement was, she didn't look away immediately. She had seen much more off putting things to let a strangers gaze unsettle her, plus, she wanted to fully see him. They were steely, serious even with a fire light that burned within them. Again the exhaustion was creeping around the sides but then deeper she looked, past the protective gaze and even past his own silent interrogation, she found something dark. A deep raging inferno that threatened to consume. At this she casually turned her head back to staring into her, now almost gone, drink. A small sigh escaped her as she heard Caleb's head turn as well.

A few minutes passed with neither of the two saying anything. She had gone back to eavesdropping on other conversations after she decided not to be consumed by her own raging thoughts. At least listening to nonsense kept her mind off of the trouble she was in. Caleb just continued to polish off the drinks that were left over in silence.

After a few more minutes, Wessek finally was able to make his way back over to her. He greeted her with rolled eyes, nodding his head back to rowdy bunch of young men he had just been helping. She gave him knowing smile and she finished off her drink and pushed it away.

"That bad huh?" She asked in a joking manner.

"Just young ruffians, drinking a bit too much. But they are celebrating so I can't fault them. As long as they don't ruin my bar…" A low growl emitted from him during his last statement which made her giggle.

"I'm sure you won't let that happen!" She said through her small laughter.

Wessek just shrugged in amusement and took her empty cup.

"Anything else for you hun?"

"Just a small glass of water, Wessek and then I think I'm done for the evening. It's to loud down here for me."

"I understand that." He said as he placed the dirty cup under the bar while pulling out a new smaller glass. As he poured, his attention turned to the Zemnian sitting next to her.

"And for you sir? More drinks or maybe some food?"

"Food might be nice." Caleb said, his voice again quiet and apologetic nature, "I haven't decided yet."

"You're more than welcome to keep a tab open but I'll need a name. Or do you just want it to be under 'The Mighty Nein'?" The Dragonborn stated and she could tell by his tone he was trying to be help bring some spirit into the withered looking man.

"No, no that's not necessary. Just Caleb should be fine." he muttered while taking another drink.

"Any surname Caleb? Theres another tab open under that name and I don't think you'd want me confusing you for that group. You'd have one big bill coming your way." Wessek chuckled as he passed the water glass to her. She was planning on taking her time finishing it. She didn't want to be alone with her thoughts quite yet.

Caleb just smiled ever so slightly and let out a scoffing chuckle, "Um, yes. That would be unfortunate. Let's avoid that. Widogast."

At this, she froze. Widogast… Caleb Widogast. No wonder she recognized him. Her old classmate…

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A/N;

Please feel free to leave comments and constructive critisim! I promise I read all of them!

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	2. Taking a Chance

As the Dragonborn left, Caleb held his head in his hands. He was clearly exhausted from whatever this group had been up too but there was frustration bubbling underneath.

"No notoriety… that's the plan. Keep a low profile… that's what we agreed on."

She wished she could have caught more of his mumblings but the white noise of the tavern was simply too loud. Not to mention the pounding of her heart that was invading her ears.

Caleb Widogast. Of all the people, of all the places, of all the timing… Maybe the Moonweaver was in her favor. True, it had been years since she had seen him but still, they used to be good friends back in the day. Star student, Caleb Widogast. The prodigal Mage, born from nothing. The poster boy for greatness. Her old friend… her old-

She blinked hard, wiping the hopeful thoughts away from her mind. She couldn't get too excited. Just because she happened to run into someone she used to trust and look up to years ago, didn't mean he was trust worthy now. From what she remembered, he was such a talent that he was handpicked by on of the Assembly members to be their personal apprentice. That was such an honor for opportunities like that didn't come around very often, or ever. It had taken her another decade before she was handpicked by one of the Assembly herself but that was only because their old apprentice had died in a robbery gone wrong.

That was the last time she had seen him. Packing his things and boarding a carriage to be taken to their private schooling. He had been beaming with joy and confidence. She still remembered their goodbye. Sure, it had been difficult for her to say farewell. Hell, she had even made a fool of herself for crying. He had been one of the few true friends she had at the academy. But he had hugged her, thanked her for being her and all the great memories, promised to see each other again, and then he left. Left with his two friends who also came from nothing. They had always seemed close, those three. Perhaps it was because they came from the same town. Whatever the case, she knew that, when he had said goodbye to her and his other friends, the next time they saw him, he'd be unstoppable.

Until the news hit.

The town of Blumenthal had discovered and defended against a Xhorhas assassin group that had been making their way to Rexxentrum. Being a small and poor town, Blumenthal had little in the way of actually defending themselves or stopping the attackers. Luckily, the three students of Sir Ikithon had been visiting home that evening and were able to help defend and eventually defeat the invaders, but at a terribly high cost. Half the town was burned to a crisp with many people getting caught in it's flames or had been murdered by the assassin's. They never heard any specifics, but when the Sir Ikithon and his students eventually returned from their private studies with Caleb no where to be seen, she had assumed the worse.

But yet, against all the odds, here he was! At least… she hoped it was him. Perhaps her hope was getting the better of her logic. She needed to stay focused. Tilting her head slightly to left once more, she let his appearance wash over her once more.

While it had been years since she had last seen him, there was no mistaking him. Of course he was older and the unkempt small beard made it a bit trickier to identify, but the more she looked, the more undeniable he was. This was indeed Caleb Widogast.

However, he was different from the Caleb she remembered. When they were at school, he was always bright and had this air of eloquence around him that couldn't be replicated. Maybe that was what drew her to him in the first place. He was so focused, a genius and walked with his head held high. He never boasted but one could tell he was proud of himself. He was inviting and kind hearted boy, the shining sun of the Academy. She remembered he would constantly write home to his parents, telling them of all the wonderful things he was learning. That was the Caleb she had known.

The Caleb that stood next to her was a far cry from her memories. He was dirty, covered in mud and soaked to the bone, but she was willing to chalk that up to him traveling in a storm. His shoulders were hunched, head buried in his hands, his voice apologetic and quiet. No, he might be Caleb Widogast, but she was willing to gamble that he was a different man.

"Can I help you?"

Her body involuntarily took a sharp intake of breath as the Zemnian accent cut through her thoughts. Her eyes darted toward his face and locked into his icy ones once more. He sure was sharp.

Her fingers fidgeted with her water glass as she kept their eye contact. Her brain was racing. She had to come up with an excuse as to why she had been staring at him, twice now. After a few seconds, she shrugged cooly and turned away from him bringing her water glass up to her bottom lip.

"You friends ordered a lot of drinks and, please forgive me if this sounds rude to you, but you don't look like your the type of person who could afford a huge round like that."

She took a sip of her water as she brought her lavender eyes back to his gaze. A small broken smile breached his face as he nodded slightly while looking away.

"It does look that way doesn't it." his voice trailed off in an almost satisfied manner.

That certainly wasn't the reaction she was expecting. Her head cocked to the side as her eyebrow raised. Gods he looked exhausted.

"Long journey?" She asked innocently taking another sip of water.

He didn't answer immediately, instead opting the rub his mouth in thought.

"Hmmmmm ya. Very long journey." The words seemed to stumble out of his mouth as if he didn't care if she caught them or not, "What about you? Long journey?" She could tell he was trying to make some semblance of conversation even though his body language shouted how uncomfortable he was.

She smiled warmly at him as she took another sip, "Ya… long journey to God's knows where." A heavy sigh escaped her once more as she turned fully to him, twirling her glass in a playful manner. She hadn't expected him to be looking back at her. Strands of his redish-nrown hair falling in front of his face as he watched her warily.

"You should go see a medic for those." she pointed to her own face and neck to indicate the spots where he had bruising and cuts. He nodded quickly as he took another swig. He didn't look like he was going to verbally answer her so she continued, "I can help you with those if you short on change."

At this his eyebrow raised in curiosity. She had to admit, having a stranger offer healing after staring at you wasn't the most normal thing but she had to talk to him. She had to talk to him and see if he could help her.

"Are you a doctor or something?" Still quiet tone but she could tell he was now somewhat invested in this conversation. Or maybe that was because he was busy burying his gaze into her features, not unlike what she had done to him a few moments before. There were a lot of half elves wandering around but she was certain that meeting an olive skinned elf at a bar was new for him. He was examining her but the question she had was did he recognize her?

Another sip.

"Somewhat. I wouldn't say I'm a doctor but I do have abilities that will help with your wounds."

He said nothing as a response, opting to just watch her intently. She gave another friendly shrug, "Forgive me for being so forward. I just think that us traveller's have to help each other out."

Caleb's hand returned to rubbing the lower half of his face. It was an old quirk that hadn't left him. "Ah ja, thats true I suppose." His voice mumbled from underneath his hand, "Well, if your offering healing, I, uh, I'm I'm not going to say no. That's uh, very altruistic of you so uh, thank you."

His hand lowered from his face slightly as he continued to simply look at her. Her smile stayed warm as she took another drink of water.

"I can't heal you down here. I prefer not to demonstrate abilities in mixed company."

Another small cracked smile as he returned to his, almost polished off, drink, "I can understand that uh mindset. No need to draw undated uh attention that you uh uh can heal."

The stammer was new. Younger him would have never stammered, especially when discussing a transaction… She needed to talk to him privately, to get him out of this bar! What she had to discuss was too important for others to eavesdrop in on.

She leaned slightly closer to him. Her voice a bit more than a whisper, "I heard you and your group are the recent champions of the Victory Pit. The 'Mighty Nein' was it?"

As her body came closer, Caleb didn't move away but he did cock his head to the side to listen a bit more intently. When she moved, she hadn't noticed that her hood had moved back slightly on her head, release a few wispy strands of her white hair from hiding. She made sure to keep her Lavender eyes fixed on his. His fingers began to stroke his beard.

"So not entirely altruistic then…" he mumbled to himself.

"I might be needing some hired help, and campions of the Victory Pit isn't a bad group to hire in my opinion."

She made sure to keep her voice low, intent and as sincere as she could make it. She just needed to talk to him alone and, as far as she knew, gold was a good incentive to start a private conversation. In truth she didn't actually have the gold to even dream about hiring anyone, nor would she actually want to hire anyone. Just more collateral damage she didn't want on her consciousness.

She held her intense eyes on his as he continued to rub his small beard. He was thinking and he was thinking hard. His eyebrows were knitted together so tightly that it cast a small shadow onto his eyes.

"How much?"

That was exactly the reaction she had been hoping for. Her innocent smile grew a bit as she situated herself back onto her stool. She took the time to polish off her water, keeping him in suspense as long as she could. She knew how to play this game, she had been taught well.

"Now, now. Not in mixed company." As she finished her sentence, she slyly broke their eye contact as she returned to looking at nothing in particular, waiting for his response. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him still staring at, what was now the side of her head. The gears were turning and they were turning rapidly. However, she could tell he wasn't just mulling over her proposal. Something else had caught his attention.

A finally stroke of his beard and his hand finally fell away from his face. He glanced around, presumably looking for his friends, then polished off the rest of his drink. His weight shifted in her direction.

"Room 16, 2nd floor. I will meet you there. My friends are upstairs already and I'll see if any of them wi-"

She shook her head as a means of interrupting him, shooting a steely gaze back to him.

"Just you for now. I don't know if I can trust you or your friends yet. Go ahead and tell them if that makes you more comfortable but it would make me more comfortable to just speak one on one for now and not be surrounded by a group a strangers." He tongue was sharp and automatic. It almost sickened her how natural it was for her to weave lies.

His face was hard to read but he looked lost in thought again. Methodical as ever. He had been taken aback a touch at her interruption but as her sentence sunk in, his eyes seemed more understanding.

"Fine. Meet me there. But be warned," his voice became deeper and more gravely as the shadow over his eyes seems to darken slightly, "any funny business and it won't end well for you."

Instinctually, she recoiled slightly from such a strong gaze. A small flicker caught her eye as she could have sworn she saw a small flame flash from one of his fingers to the was slipping from her power position. Taking a moment to regathering herself, she ended nodded politely.

"Understood." Her voice wavered a touch as it left her mouth, "I'm assuming you and your friends have dealt with 'not so nice people' in the past to warrant such a defensive reaction."

At this, he faltered. The shadow that had been encroaching on his eyes lifted and the fire light once again danced over his face. The hand that she thought she saw ignite a spark, ran through his hair in a slightly sheepish manner. A deep sigh emitted from him and as his hair pulled away from his forehead, it revealed his swollen temple. Empathy began to grow inside her chest.

"Or I'm guessing you've just had a bad day and are on edge…"

A small, half hearted, chuckle escaped his lips as his hand returned to his side, "Ya… my my apologizes… it just- it's-it has been a day."

Her warm smile returned as she raised her water glass to him, "I can drink to that."

Instead of his usual broken smile, a tiny genuine one found it's way on his face. For a brief second, she saw her friend emerge under this battle worn man.

She pushed herself off of her stool so that she was now standing next to him, her stool almost immediately being jacked the moment she left it. He had grown since she had last seen him but that was to be expected. When they had been at school together they were the same height but now, he definitely was at least a good foot taller than her. Looking up at him felt weird to her but she met his eyes again as she place a hand gently on his shoulder.

"Let me heal you first before we talk business. Quite frankly my friend, you look like you've seen hell."

He didn't react to her hand on his shoulder, instead his eyes continued to examine every inch of her. He nodded slowly as he leaned back against the bar.

"Many thanks for that in advance…" his voice trailed off, almost as if he wasn't really focused on what he was saying, instead concentrating on what ever thoughts were swirling in his head.

Another warm, reassuring smile from her before she leaned over the bar to get Wessek's attention. It took a minute but he did slowly make his way over to them, bearing is jovial smile as he came.

"Yes?"

"I'm finished for the evening and just wanted to say goodnight!" She said in a sing song voice as she passed him 5 silver pieces. "Keep the change hun."

As he scooped up the coin, his smile widened back at her.

"You're too sweet hun. I'll see ya in the morning!"

"Oh before you go," She turned her attention back up to the Zemnian man, "Are you sure you can afford all these drinks?" her teasing tone was reenforced by a the playful glimmer in her eyes. At this, she could see the smallest hint of color under the fuzz that was growing on his cheeks. His eyebrow raised slightly in an amused way but nothing else about him gave him away. His tiny smile he hid once more behind his hand.

"Y-yes. I'm good." He voice was a bit stronger as he answered.

"Oh good!" She whipped her head around, bringing her attention back to her bartender friend, "Then I guess it is truly goodnight! I'll see you for breakfast!"

Wesson glanced quickly between the two before grabbing her water glass and the now empty cups in front of Caleb. She almost didn't catch the small wink from the sheer size of the Dragonborn as he turned away and back to his other clients.

With her tab closed, she turned to look across the room. She guessed she could watch the rowdy card game that was happening before she went to meet with Caleb but that seemed like a lot of people work she didn't want to deal with right now. She would go to her room and wait. But then she'd need a way to get into his room without drawing suspicion. She had no guarantees that he or his group of friends were still working with or along side the Academy or the Assembly. She needed to make sure he didn't know where she was staying. The more of a ghost she was, the better. Bird infiltration is was.

She could feel his eyes on her during her thoughts. Indeed when she looked back up towards him, his eyes were on her. His hand still over his mouth and the rest of his face had returned to his regular thinking scowl.

"Leave your window open. twenty minutes." Her voice was low so the room noise would drown it out to unwanted ears but she made sure to point it in his direction. Again, not much of a reaction from him. So she took that as her sign to leave and wait. But, the moment she took a step away from him and towards the stairs, his voice entered her ears.

"Have we met?" Unlike a regular tone for a question, his was monotone, plain. A bit like he was stating a fact rather than asking a question. She stole a glance at him once more. His familiar face brought back so many memories for her. Even if he was still working for them, she knew how to get away. She was hidden from their sight and he looked pretty worse for wear as it was. She could take him if she needed too. Plus she had an escape route and plan. However, something was pulling at her in her gut. Things just didn't add up. People don't just appear back from the dead… She could take this risk. Everything was calculated in her favor even if things did go wrong but still… there was something.

She didn't mean to take as long a pause as she had but eventually she let out a small sigh as her eyes softened. Her face allowing the exhaustion to set it as the fear create back into the corners of her being.

"Classmate #13, needs you're help…"

Her voice was nothing but a breathy whisper and she wasn't even sure if it had reached him. She wasn't about to repeat it.

A full minute past as the two of them stared at each other, one with an inquisitory, harsh gaze and the other unguarded. It felt like an eternity to her but then he moved. Realization was crashing into Caleb faster than he could process. His eyes grew slightly bigger while his hand dropped slightly from his face. Undeniable sadness, nostalgia and a hint of fear were quickly gathering in his eyes. There had been a crack in his uncaring armor.

"Twenty Minutes." She hissed at him as she broke from those newly expressive eyes. Without a single glance or another pause, she quickly and gracefully maneuvered her way through the crowd, disappearing up the stairs.

* * *

A/N;

Please feel free to comment, like, and all those other lovely things! They mean a lot! I'm happy people enjoy this story as much as I am enjoying writing it!

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Is it Thursday yet? (A/N; ermigawd it is!)


	3. Old Faces, New People

Click.

Locked. Finally, she was safe. Away from the confusion of the bar. Away from the foolish hope that had rekindled. Away from him.

How could she had been so stupid. She should have just left well enough alone. She had gotten a meeting with him! They were going to talk privately! There had been no reason for her to even mention her old class number. There had been no reason to bring up that connection. But… even so… it was him. Her old friend who she thought perished years ago. Her soul wanted to trust him, wanted him to help her, wanted him to be the friend she once knew.

Five Minutes.

Her feet were pacing quickly back and forth across the small room, making sure to stay light on her toes to not attract any unwanted complaints. What was she supposed to even talk to him about? Was she supposed to drag him into this mess? What was he supposed do?! Was she really going to drag him and his friends down with her? He seemed to care about them from what she observed in the bar. Now here she was, expecting some form of rescue, accomplice, or just someone to unload too without even giving a second thought to the fact that he had his own life now. People he wanted to protect.

Selfish…

10 minutes.

Frustration was boiling inside her as she fumbled with the latch on her cloak. As it fell away to the floor, her reflection in the mirror caught her eye. Ceasing her pacing, she glanced over herself but quickly looked away.

And she thought Caleb looked different. She defiantly was the one who had changed the most… Her new but still, plain peasants clothing was a far cry from the white and gold dress uniform she wore almost every day. Just to be able to wear that uniform was a great honor, she even remembered feeling on top of the world when Master Oremid Hass had presented it to her as a mark of her ascension as his underling. But, now that she knew what that all represented and meant, she couldn't be happier that she had left it to burn in the embers of her campfire.

Her once long, flowing, snow white hair which, at it's longest, had sat just under her lower back was gone. Roughly chopped into a shoulder length bob. She probably should have sharpened the dagger before cutting her hair but she needed it to be gone. The length of her hair had been not only a symbol of status, but also one of her most defining features. So off it came. Not only was her hair gone but also shape of her body. Being on the run definitely did do wonders for ones figure. As an Elf, she always enjoyed the perks of having a slender but coveted form. It was just one more thing that she had taken for granted while sitting high and mighty…

She gently pulled at the skin around her eyes, to briefly make the bags disappear. God's she had been lucky to inherit her Father's skin tone and body shape. Her mother had gifted her exotic hair and eye color but she was certain that her life would be worlds different if she had also inherited her mother's grey skin tone. Thank the God's her Father past on the genes to help her live a normal life.

15 Minutes.

A frustrated grumble exited her body as she made her way to the window. What was she supposed to say? What was she even planning on doing? How was he supposed to help…

The cloak was swept off the bed and fastened once more around her neck. A quick inside pocket check. The scroll was still safety tucked at the bottom. The scroll that she was risking her life for…

She swiftly made her way to the widow and was soon greeted with the rain. It was letting up with was nice. She hoped that it would stop soon so Caleb's friends didn't have to walk back battling more weather…

It was time to go.

A faint green glow emitted from her skin as her druidic markings appeared on her forehead, cheeks, and arms. Her entire body began to change, morphing seamlessly into a smaller and smaller form. Feathers grew from nothing as her clothing melded into the magic. Soon a snowy white owl was left standing on the floor of the room. With one hoot and powerful flap of it's wings, the owl disappeared into the night sky searching the second floor for room 16.

At least he kept his side of the bargin. Room 16 was easy to find since it was the only room to have it's window slightly ajar in this weather. Making a bee line towards it, her owl form came to rest on the widow sill, pecking the opening wider for her to slip into. It was hard for her to tell how brightly lit the room was for, as an owl, her vision in the dark was impeccable but she did notice only a few candles were lit near the bed. The room was almost bare as her own. Nothing of interest expect a few bag thrown haphazardly into the corner, a couple of the bags looked as though they belonged to a child with their small size.

He wasn't hard to spot. He was sitting pensively at the very edge of the bed, his sharp gaze watching her every motion, the rest of his face hidden behind his clasped hands. He didn't seem to move as she hopped into the room and half way closed the widow with her head. Giving a small hoot, she shook off some of the water that had found it's way in-between her feathers. His head cocked to the side as he observed this highly intelligent owl wonder into his room. He was rather calm for, perceivably, a wild animal making it's way into his room. It was think she caught the magical aura that his being was excreting. He was using a spell. A concentration spell by the looks of it. She had been careless…

She cocked her owl head to the side as she gazed up at him. Had she just walked into a trap. She still had a means of escape but still… she hadn't anticipated him to already casting spells in caution. She gave another small hoot, waiting for him to make the first movement.

"Well your not a creature akin to Frumpkin." Again he was mumbling to himself but, since there was no white noise, she understood every word he muttered. What the hell was a Frumpkin?

Another hoot.

"Transmutation… I'm guessing this is why you wanted me to keep the widow open?"

What a clever man. She should have spotted it the moment she recognized he using a spell. He was detecting magic. Just like the Caleb of her memories, always outsmarting his opponent. There was no point in her staying in her bird form. The same green glow emitted from her eyes as she slowly morphed back into her Elven form, the druidic symbols giving off my light than the flickering candles. As she stood from her transformation, she allowed her hood to fully fall from her head so that he could properly see who he was about to negotiate with. Caleb said nothing as he watched. Some of her bones cracked as she adjusted her body into as strong a stance she could muster in her tired state.

As she took one step towards him, he opened his mouth to retort but she simply held up a hand to silence him.

"Let me fulfill my promise first."

A slightly confused look came across his face as she moved in front of him. A small smile appeared across her mouth as her the center of her chest began to glow a soft golden hue. Putting her hands on her décolletage, she guided the glow up into her chest until it was inside her mouth. She gently blew and a golden mist escaped her lips. She used her hands to gently guide the mist over to Caleb's face and, while some of it he inhaled, most of it absorbed into his skin. A crisp, clean, and lilac smell filled the air as she blew more of this golden mist into Caleb. Almost immediately, his wounds were closing, his skin began to regain it's healthy peach tone, and the exhaustion around his eyes was dispersing. However, as the healing process continued, the source of the golden mist, the magical glowing light that continued to emanate from her chest, began to dim.

After a minute or two, the glow had fully burnt out and the mist stopped. She took a deep breath as she took a step away, rubbing her chest as she did. Well, he certainly looked worlds better than he had. He had been more injured than she had first thought. Her magic had found deep gashes that he had hidden underneath his cloak. She hadn't anticipated using her entire balm to heal him. Caleb's eyes were wide in fascination and curiosity, first pointed towards her but then towards himself as he examine his skin. He was good as new.

She took another deep breath as he examined her handy work. She knew she was tired from her life on the run but, even still, it surprised her how much that natural act of magic took out of her. As Caleb's attention returned onto her, she fought to keep her exhaustion out of her expressions.

"Thank you." His tone was genuine but she could still hear the mistrust underneath.

"It's no big deal. My pleasure." Her small smile warmed a bit as she backed toward the window sill once more. Leaning against it as she wiped from bangs out of her face, she watched as Caleb dropped his eyes to the floor, grumble in disappoint or frustration. At himself? At her? At the situation? She couldn't tell for sure. After a few moment, his eyes returned to hers as he began to stand.

"What do you want? Classmate 13?"

His voice was sharp, almost acid-like in it's attack. She couldn't help but wince slightly as her old class number. The only form of identification you had during your first year at the academy. She had left that years ago and, to be reminded of the past she had destroyed away, stung.

"Please Caleb… Use my real name."

The rain continued to lessen a bit more. No longer was it sharply rapping against the windows. She was still close enough to it that she could make the escape if she wanted to. However, she kept her attention squarely on him. Her eyes round with a small pleading gaze. She wasn't fully convinced that had figured out who he was talking to. Of course he knew he was talking to someone from the academy but it had been years… would he remember a close friend that he abandoned? Then again, she had to assume he had abandoned a lot of things. From the bright shining star of Soltryce Academy to a make who looked as if he desperately needed a new pair of clothing. What had happened…

After a few moments of silence, Caleb finally sighed, running his fingers through his reddish brown hair.

"I… I don't remember you. I know your face but your name escapes me…"

Her heart sunk. Of course… she had expected this answer but it still hurt. She had mourned his apparently death and yet he apparently had no qualms about forgetting her. Had he forgotten Astrid and Eodwulf as well?

She looked away, holding her arms as she did. With little more than a whisper, she allowed her true name to flit into the air.

"Ahvir Kore."

The name took a minute to wash over him but she could tell that memories began to surface in the back of his mind. It looked like he was recalling repressed, or even suppressed events. Things he hadn't thought about in years. Things he had forgotten, or had been forced to forget. As the full weight of her name took its hold, he slunk slightly once more into the bed post he had been holding. He said nothing as he just visually gaped at her.

Ahvir cleared her throat, pushing the random strands of hair out of her face. They didn't have all night.

"What are your feelings on the Empire?" her tone was calculated, not unlike his when he was examining things of interest.

A small smile cracked onto the side of his lips. Why? She didn't particularly think that was an amusing question.

"That's the same question I once asked…" Once more he seemed to be muttering to himself but, thanks to the absence of white noise, she caught every word. Before she could even ask for an explanation, he continued.

"I like to keep unnoticed Ahvir, if you couldn't tell." He gestured to his tattered and dirtied person, "That should tell you everything you need to know."

Unnoticed… The star of the Soltryce Academy preferred to stay unnoticed? He preferred to look like a dirty hobo. He preferred to keep eyes, prying or otherwise, off of him. He wanted to be invisible. But yet he still practiced his magic? She had seen his books tucked under his cloak down at the bar and they looked worn and used. So he was still practicing magic but yet wanted to be a ghost.

The Caleb she had once known, the bright shining student and jovial youth she had admired and…, he had truly died during the fire in Blumental. Well… she couldn't be too surprised for the Ahvir he had once known had been destroyed along her accomplices.

"What happened to you Caleb? We all thought you died in during the invasion…"

At this, Caleb's eyes sharpened. What once had been a nostalgic and warm gaze had immediately returned to their calculated stare.

"Entschuldigung?" There wasn't really any tone to his voice, but more of sharp hiss. She stood her ground against the sudden aggressive manner.

"The invasion of Blumental. The night where Xhorasian assassins had been spotted in Blumental heading towards Rexxentrum. The people and Master Ikiton's students managed to stop them but the town suffered heavy casualties… Half of it was burnt down… When you didn't return with the Master… well… we all thought you had died."

The more she spoke, the darker and darker Caleb's expression became. His small smile, which had began innocent, was quickly twisting into a maniacal smirk. It was an unsettling look that it even caused her to look away from him.

"…So…" she continued uneasily, "When I see you in a random tavern all the way south here in Zadash… call me mildly confused and astonished…" she snuck a side view back at him. He hadn't changed, it was almost as if he was hanging on her every word. She felt like prey that was about to devoured by a predator. Once more she looked away, "So… what happened to you Caleb?"

She heard no movement from him nor did she hear anything in general. Stealing another glance, she could see that he had brought back some of his composure but he couldn't seem to fully wipe away that crazed half smirk.

"They lied to you…" The hiss was gone but it had been replaced by a deep and dark timbre, "They always lie… they aren't afraid too.. I died?! That's what he went with?!" He had started out strong but as he continued, his volume trailed off until it became nothing more than mumbling she couldn't make out. He began to pull into himself slightly as he looked towards the grounds. Her heart panged. It looked as if he was going through feelings and thoughts faster than he could process them. She took a step towards him but that seemed to snap him out of his mental snow ball. His hand shot up to stop her and she immediately complied.

"Caleb…"

"All you need to know is that they have lied to you." His attention slowly was brought back up to her as she stood there frozen, staring at him with concern radiating off her being, "That's not what happened…"

A pause. Then one more ginger step towards him.

"Then- then what happened?" she inquired cautiously.

Caleb shook his head furiously as he brought himself back to his feet.

"You don't need to be burdened with that Ahvir." The maniacal smirk was fading thankfully as he began to re-recognize her. "Just know, they've lied to you."

A slow nod answered him.

So he had been wronged… by the Empire? Maybe. By the Academy? Maybe. By Master Ikithon? Maybe. Whoever or whatever had wronged him had hurt him. Badly. Caleb was a broken shell of what he used to be… She wished to know. Wanted desperately to know what had happened to him. To rush to his side like she had always done and lift him up. To comfort him… But some wounds, she could see, she couldn't heal. Not with magic and not with her words.

Her nod seemed to soothe him slightly but his eyes never lost their intensity. He took one more glance over her as his head raised slightly. In confirmation? In understanding? In realization? It was hard to tell.

His hand rest on his chin, "What do you want Ahvir?"

She hadn't anticipated faltering slightly as she heard his question. The weight of the scroll seemed to double in her inside pocket. The weight of so much was at stake… She had just circled back to the same question she had been asking herself the entire night…

Could she trust him?

Another pause as the two looked deep into each other. Trying desperately to find any reason, any sign that might tell her he would turn her in. But after everything she had seen from him and his accusation that she had been lied to as a cover up…

She would trust him.

She glanced at the candles flickering nearby.

"Don't freak out." With a wave of her fingers, she extinguished the flames. Darkness now enveloped the room and she waited a few minutes for his human eyes to adjust. She could see though that he was casting his own spell and a very dim glob of light came into being. He quickly covered it under his cloak to further hide it's light but at least now, he could still see somewhat. She couldn't help but internally smile. She made her way swiftly to his side and began to speak in nothing more than a whisper.

Sylvan exited her mouth, "Have you ever heard of a Xhorhasian artifact called a Beacon?"

She watched for any reaction from his face. They were in extremely close proximity now. She could smell the dirt from his journey mixing with his natural earthy scent. She could see every detail of his mud splattered skin and the unkempt hairstyle he donned. Every crevasse and color shift his ice ice gave. She was glad the room was mostly dark as she felt her ears go slightly pink.

"Let's say I have." he replied, echoing her new chosen language.

He was urging her to continue.

"Ok… well if you've heard of it then you probably know about as much as every other apprentice. They keep any information about the Beacon hidden from anyone lower than Academy members and their direct underlings." She was doing her best to talk as expediently and clearly as she could. Sylvan was a very flowery language so it made it easier to speak quickly but if she wasn't careful, it was easy to get lost if not spoken with good diction. "What they tell us in general is that the Beacon is a powerful Xhorhasian artifact that helps them in their worship. I took their word for it for the longest time… I trusted them… but there much more than that! They can do so much more than that!"

She took a deep breath, trying to calm the desperation rising in her chest, "They've been testing them. Yes them! They have multiple and they've been trying to see what they are. What they can do. One of the things they've discovered is that, with enough focus and energy, one can control probability! While that it self is powerful… it can do much more… time, matter, life… gates… all of them are within reach to twist. And with all of them…"

She faltered… her mind spinning, remembering the first time she had read this. Deep within her masters private library. She could see her masters handwriting leaping from the scrolls. Hurriedly jolting down observations, clues, and findings as they experimented. Her stomach churned…

"Caleb…" Her eyes dug deeper into his. The weight of what she had done bearing into her back, "The Empire… no the country… Wildemount… everyone… if the Assembly get's this back… no one will be safe… everyone… everything will change. Everything will be gone… They don't understand what they're doing! They… everything will end if they get this back…"

She opened her cloak every so slightly and the very top of the scroll peaked out of her pocket. Caleb's eyes glanced down and the moment he saw it, she hid it once more.

"I stole it. Once I found out… Once I… Me and a few of my other friends, not apprentices but just higher up mages, we hatched a plan to steal this. Their scroll of answers. Their scroll of knowledge… We couldn't not do something! We had to! So we did… and I'm the only one left…"

Her eyes involuntarily filled with tears.

"Help me. Help me either get this information to someone who can help or help me escape with it. I can't destroy it… I've tried… So I need to keep it away or give it to someone who can do something and fix what they've been doing… please…"

There was a long silence as Ahvir just stared imploringly into Caleb. She could tell the wheels were turning quickly. This had been a lot of information she had just dumped onto him.

The silence seemed to go on forever. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she could hear his breath quicken and then grow deeper.

"Why do you have to do anything?"

That was his response… Why? Why was she willing to risk her life to do what she felt was right? Why…

He had clearly seen her receive his question poorly as he was quick to clarify, "Why do you have to do anything more? You've done what you've done so rid yourself of it. Bury it in the ground! Just get rid of it."

She stared back at him, stunned. Caleb Widogast, the boy who had dreamed of making a difference, making everyone proud, making the world a bit safer, a bit fairer, a bit livelier, was asking her why she cared…

The old Caleb died in that fire…

A tear fell from her eye as the water over pooled. It took her a minute, but she finally found the words to answer.

"My Father used to tell me tales of a group of heroes that lived far across Lucidian Sea. They were a group of nobodies but they had immense strength, magic, and courage. They were a family and when they discovered evil, they decided to rise to meet it. Nobody asked them too, they chose to. They chose to be the ones to stand against evil. Even the God's were willing to help them in their stand."

Another tear fell.

"My father speaks of heroes. People who chose to do the right thing even against all the odds. They saved the world. I don't think of myself so highly as to call me a hero or even that I'm saving the world…" Her eyes fell to gaze unseeingly at his chin, "But, like the heroes in my father's tales, they fought to save what they loved… so… I can fight to save what I love."

As she finished, her words drifted into the noise of the pittering rain. She quickly wiped away her tears from her cheeks as she looked back up at him. His face had softened. Understanding over coming him even if she did see a bit of unease still lingering behind his eyes. His gaze had lost his sharpness as empathy was creeping it's way in. Maybe the Caleb she knew, wasn't completely gone.

Suddenly, her elven ears perked as she heard slight movement from under the bed frame. Her veins went cold.

* * *

A/N;

Please feel free to comment, like, and all those other lovely things! I really do appreciate them so much and I'd love to share this story with more amazing critters!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Two chapters of build up so I thought it was time to open up the plot curtain a bit. I'm sorry it took a bit longer to get this chapter out but I have been busy and I wanted to get this one right! This was such a fun section to write because I had to still work within what we know cannonically while also giving Ahriv motivation. Also, writing this pretty intense interaction was fun exercise for me! So wins all around.

In case you all were wondering, her name is pronounced [Ah-reev]. I wanted to play off of Caleb's Hebrew name so I chose a Hebrew name for my character. Since Caleb is highly associated with the element of fire, Ahriv's name means 'air' in Hebrew. Why not Water (as it would be the most logical choice to go the complete opposite of fire)? Well, you'll know why later :)

Her last name Kore is another name for the Greek Goddess of Spring and Queen of the Underworld, Persephone. I like to have names mean and reveal something about characters (which I'm sure many writers like to do as well). So with that knowledge, infer what you will :)

Catch Critical Role live on their twitch channel, /criticalrole, on Thursday's at 7 pm PST.

Is it Thursday yet?


	4. Negotiations

They weren't alone.

In the silence between them, Ahvir could finally hear slow, steady breaths from under the bed. Had she been so focused on Caleb that she could have dropped her guard so much? It appeared so… Had she just jeopardized everything because she had wanted to trust him that badly?

Dearest Moonweaver, she prayed not.

She did her best not to indicate what she had discovered which was rather easy to accomplish seeing as how her eyes were already pleading and desperate. Their bodies (and indeed their faces) were so close that it would have been a miracle if Caleb had caught her elven ear bend backwards in a canine fashion. He was still trying to think of a response which gave her time to formulate her own plan. Thank the Gods her cloak was a bit on the bigger side so it hid her hands quite easily so she had that advantage. Something in the back of her mind believed that Caleb hadn't set her up, but she didn't have the luxury to listen to that kind of thinking. She had to think one of two conclusions; either he had planted someone to be in the room with him or he was completely unaware of this extra entity.

Please let it be the former…

"Ahvir," He began, her name coming out with a lot of extra air, almost as if he was slightly exasperated. "What do-" but Ahvir cut him off with a small shake of her head. They couldn't continue to talk so freely with unwelcome ears.

"Caleb, I know I haven't really given you much." As she spoke she began to twirl her covered hand, beginning the requirements of her spell. In truth, she was just speaking to keep him distracted enough. She didn't want to attack… but she couldn't risk anything. If she had made a mistake, she'd rectify it now.

"I also know you don't really have any reason trust me so," she slipped her other hand into her cloak, "maybe if you read the scroll, you'd understand better." Her hand instead took hold of a small dagger that had been hidden on an inside pocket.

His eyes widened a bit; in excitement or comprehension she knew not which but it didn't matter. He was completely focused on her. That's all she needed.

Her hand continued its arcane pattern.

"I can't fully explain the spells or tests that are in there…" she continued but she was beginning to slip from the Sylvan that had been speaking into Druidic. "Some of the tests sound a bit like this." She fully dropped into Druidic as she finished her spell.

It happened so quickly. As she broke eye contact with Caleb to fix her gaze on a free corner of the room, she saw his face change to complete shock and a bit of panic. Her eyes glowed green as the magic shot from her covered hand. The corner suddenly grew a huge writhing vine that, as it whipped into existence, shot towards the bottom of the bed. As she had anticipated, Caleb began to move defensively but, the moment she felt him move, Ahvir drew her dagger, pressing it under his beard. Completely caught off guard, Caleb froze as he felt the metal against his throat.

"Don't move." Ahvir threatened, changing back to Common.

Her vine had found its victim. A surprised and frightened yelp came from under the bed as the vine quickly grasped and entangled the hidden entity. With a flick of Ahvir's fingers, the vine dragged the woman out from her hiding place. Soon she was hoisted off the ground as she continued to be more tightly bound. The tip of the vine had covered her mouth so she couldn't make more noise.

Ahvir smirked triumphantly, silently congratulating herself on her find. Now, she needed to figure out who this unwelcome stranger was.

As she examine her captive, to her surprise she recognized her. Half shaved, brown, boyish cut hair, blue and turquoise robes, olive skin, and a staff slung over her back. This woman was part of Caleb circus group. The one with the extremely gruff and manly voice who had been one of the first to retire for the evening. Why was she here?

"I thought I said I wanted to speak to you privately." Ahvir pointed this question toward Caleb who still hadn't moved, but her eyes were still on the newcomer. The woman had very deep, ocean blue eyes which only expressed frustration and agitation in her direction. To Ahvir's surprise, she couldn't find any fear in the woman's gaze.

"I'm assuming you know her?" Ahvir kept her tone friendly. While she was the one with the upper hand, she didn't want to hurt them. She was just making sure…

"I do…" Caleb's tone hadn't lost it's airy quality. She could tell he was trying to keep his voice calm. "Her name is Beauregard."

"Hello Beauregard." Ahvir nodded her head politely as a means of introductions. Beauregard's eyebrows furrowed in anger as she tried to wriggle free of the grasping vine.

"Would you mind telling me why she was hiding under your bed?" Ahvir brought her attention back to Caleb. His hands were out in plain sight, held at chest height in surrender.

"Precaution."

His icy gaze once more was burrowing into hers. She sensed no fabrication coming from him. He seemed genuine albeit a bit frightened.

"Precaution from what?" She clenched her fist a bit and the vine increased it's strangle hold on Beauregard. A small muffled whimper of pain escaped her as Caleb jumped to answer, trying to protect her as best he could.

"You're not the only hiding from the Assembly."

A pause.

She knew he had been hiding. He had made that very clear himself. But from the Assembly? Specifically from the Assembly? Did that mean he was hiding from his old mentor? Sir Ikithon? Why? She hadn't anticipated her being the one that would be filled with some many questions this evening.

According to Caleb, she had been fed a lie about what had happened in Blumenthal. He clearly hadn't died as the Sir Ikithon had claimed. And now she finds him years later, looking and acting like a begger, supposedly on purpose to help himself hide from the Assembly? She was missing some pieces in this story…

"Who is she Caleb?" As she broke the silence, her eyes narrowed in on his. He knew exactly what she was truly asking… He brought his hands down to hang at his side as he swallowed.

"She is a traveling companion of mine. I trust her with my life."

"Why did you have her hide?"

Caleb took a quick, worried glance over to Beauregard who was still helplessly fighting against her foliage captor.

"You knew me from the Academy, I couldn't help but be cautious in case they had found me…"

'In case they had found me...' It was at that moment she realized, they weren't acting so different. He was being as cautious, maybe even more than she was. If he was to be believed, they were just two people who really didn't want the Assembly or the Academy to find them. They were both running. Maybe not for the same reasons but still running.

That is… if he was telling the truth.

"So," Ahvir started, trying to get the story straight, "You had her hide to protect you in case I was here to-" she paused, searching for the right word, "capture you?"

Caleb nodded ever so slightly.

"It was just precaution. Something I think you have good grasp on" He said as he gestured to the knife with his eyes. "You can trust her. I trust her with my life and she has saved it on many occasions."

Ahvir continued to search Caleb's face, examining it for even the slightly hint of falsehood. To her frustration, she couldn't find anything… Her heart, her soul, her entire being wanted to trust him. But it had been so long since she could truly trust anyone… However something in her gut was comforting her, easing itself to believe in him, believe in his friends, believe they could help…

"Why should I trust your friends? Why shouldn't I believe that you or you group, the 'Mighty Nein', are going to compromise everything?!" A bit of desperation slipped into her tone as she pleaded with her old classmate. She just needed one thing, anything. She hadn't had more than one ally for a long time… she just needed one sign… just one…

There was a palpable pause. Caleb's face hadn't change drastically like she had anticipated. He simply was examining her just like she had done to him. Of course she could see that he was still frightened, anyone would be with a knife being held to their throat. However, there did seem to be some comforting aspect to his look and for a moment, she felt at peace. She saw her old friend staring back at her, comforting her from the stress of school. Telling her that she was gifted and she just needed to keep focused and try harder. Sharing fantasies of a brighter world, a world they could help build, a world that would be better…

"I'll help you."

His voice cut through her like a knife. In a few simple words, the dark clouds of her mind seemed to break a small ray of light began to seep through. He'd help her…

She let off a bit of pressure from the knife but she still held it firm to his skin.

"How?" She raised an eyebrow slightly at him.

"Release us and I'll tell you…" His voice again still calm despite his life being threatened.

Ahvir gritted her teeth in frustration. Her innerself was being torn asunder. She wanted to let them go, wanted to believe so badly, but what if… what if…

"I understand… I understand not wanting to trust people…" Caleb had spoken up once more, his face growing more and more sympathetic. He lifted his hand hesitantly, cautiously. Ahvir gave no indication that the motion bothered her for she knew. There was no way he could cast any spell before she would be able to take his life. He gently placed his hand onto of her hair and rubbed it gently with his thumb, his voice becoming little more than a whisper, "Sometimes though… you find what you need without looking for it. Let me, let us help you. If it's this serious, if your dead set on risking everything, then let us help you."

She let him stroke her head. It had been his way of comforting people, and indeed her, in the past. The sensation of calm, nostalgia, and friendship almost brought tears to her eyes. She once again felt the weight of everything bear unto her shoulders. She would collapse soon…

"I- I just need to get out of here…"

Caleb said nothing but she saw him take a quick worried glance over in Beauregard's direction. At this her heart banged with guilt. She had watched her own friends perish, mutliated in much worse ways than her mind had even thought was imaginable. And yet, here she was, threatening two peoples lives. How much they cared about each other was irrelevant, they still seemed to matter to each other.

One more glance back up. One more look into her old friend's eyes. There was nothing hiding in his gaze, nothing hidden in the tired lines that surrounded his eyes. He was being honest. Whether or not he believed her about how dangerous her mission was or not, he would still help her…  
Thank you dearest Moonweaver.

Her fist slowly relaxed as did the rest of the pressure she had been applying to the knife. As the vine released its grasp, Beauregard kicked free, rubbing her arms as she landed on the ground.

"Fuck you too, crazy bitch."

Her gruff, manly voice caught Ahvir off guard for a second. She still wasn't used to such a tone coming from a female. She looked over to her as she tucked her knife back into her cloak.

"You should have expected as such, spying in on a private meeting." Ahvir's voice was soft, almost as if she didn't want Beauregard to truly hear what she was saying, "I know people who would have done much worse to you…"

One more stroke on the head and then Caleb pulled his hand back. He glanced over his newly freed friend, "Are you alright."

Beauregard simply shrugged, "The carpet was way worse. Can I at least punch her for pulling that shit!"

"Angry that she caught you off guard?" Caleb didn't smile but Ahvir could tell he was needling her slightly. Beauregard's lips pursed as she folded her arms.

"So we're helping her?"

Ahvir's face flushed slightly. Maybe she shouldn't have let this woman go free… She was horribly rude…

Caleb's eyelids flickered slightly, as if he was fighting back rolling his eyes. He turned his attention back towards Ahvir, who still hadn't moved. She was busy taking in her decision. Her decision to let them go, letting the person who knows her secret go. Because she trusted them? She wasn't completely convinced but still… she had let go. The breath that filled her lungs seemed lighter now.

Caleb's face had shed it's fear now that he was assured to see one more day. He swallowed hard, rubbing his hand gently where the knife had once been. He clearly needed a minute to regain some form of normalcy. She finally noticed that he was doing his best to steady his breathing once more.

She had truly frightened him with her stunt. Another pang of guilt.

Beauregard watched Caleb, one eyebrow up in an exasperated manner. Another pause except this one was much more awkward than the rest. Thankfully Beauregard broke it.

"So… what were you two talking about? Couldn't make out much of anything in such a fancy language."

Ahvir just stared disbelievingly at a spot on Caleb's coat. This woman hadn't understood a single word that they had spoken. So her secret was still only with one person and not two! It was as if a stone pillar had just been lifted from her back. She could breath deeper.

Thank you dearest Moonweaver.

Ahvir had opened her mouth to speak but, to her surprise, Caleb interrupted.

"Don't worry about it now." His voice was airy but he took another deep breath and continued, "You said you just needed to get out?"

At this Ahvir sheepishly nodded. She had no money to pay them, no anything to really help convince them to help her. Besides, she had just attacked them so why would the rest of his friends actually want to help her.

Caleb sighed and looked back at Beauregard who had moved closer, still a bit defensive but that was understandable. Her eye brow was still raised as they had a silent interaction. After a few seconds she sighed, turning her attention onto Ahvir, attention she wasn't too keen on having. She was pretty sure that if she hadn't had gotten the jump on this woman, Ahvir would have been worse for wear. While she hadn't seen anything substantial from Beauregard, judging by her stature, form, and the fact that Caleb had entrusted just her to watch over this meeting and not the giant pale woman she had seen, she had a good feeling this Beauregard wasn't a person to truffle with.

"Where you headin'?"

"Anywhere outside the Empire." The answer came so quickly in practically fell out of her mouth. "Get me out and you'll never hear from me again. You'll never hear of any of this again."

Beauregard was thinking while Caleb, after finally regaining his composure, had gone back to examining Ahvir. His eyes kept falling onto where the scroll was safely tucked under her cloak. He wanted to read it, but she wouldn't allow that. She had already caused him enough trouble, she didn't need to dumped more onto him.

A deep, deep sigh emitted from Beauregard, "For how much? We just came through the border, which was a pain in the ass by the way, and you're asking us to do that again. So how much?"

Ahivr had been dreading that question… she knew nothing came free, that had especially been hitting home for her more recently. Being alone and on the run truly meant everything came at a cost. But she was certain, she couldn't even begin to come up with a number that would suit Caleb and his entourage. Back to thinking, back to planning. What could she offer them to truly help her. Caleb had said to let him, to let them help her. She guessed that maybe his help came free but the group's came at a cost, that is if Beauregard was anything to go buy. She wished there was a way to convince the group to help her just as Caleb had done. Maybe Caleb could convince them. Maybe they would listen to Caleb. Maybe they would-

A horrid idea suddenly struck her. It was a low blow but if Caleb did mean something to these people, then she would most definitely have their cooperation. They would help her…  
"My silence. That's what I have to offer." She finally brought her eyes up to meet Caleb's once more. At once he seemed confused but her meaning finally was settling in. Ahvir slowly nodded as she saw true understanding set in, "My silence for your silence and transportation. If you truly want gold, you can have whatever I have at the border but," She paused and looked away from him, her cheeks burning with embarrassed guilt, "I think my silence is plenty of payment."

Little had Caleb realized, but he had given Ahivr slight power. She knew he didn't want to Assembly to find him and, while she might not know the true details, that meant the Assembly was probably looking for him. It would be all too easy for to tip off a Crownsgaurd that she had seen a rogue mage the Assembly might be looking for. It would be easy for to slip back into the crowds and continue running. On the flip side, she knew this was true for Caleb as well. All too easy for him to tip someone off about her as well. They were at a stand still in terms of informational blackmail. But, by offering her complete silence about Caleb and his groups whereabouts, she had pulled a trump card to make sure Caleb would ensure him and his group would help her. To protect Caleb, they would do what she asked. She would make it out of the Empire…

"You conniving..." The gruff voice of Beauregard shot through the tension between Ahvir and Caleb. Her eyes were narrow and focused on her… She had clearly caught onto what Ahvir had offered which surprised her greatly. Perhaps she had judged Beauregard wrongly, apparently she was much more shrewd. Ahvir's eyes fell from her's sheepishly. It was true, what she was doing wasn't the most wholesome solution but what choice did she have…

Another sigh, "You must really hate the Empire if you want to leave this badly." Beauregard snorted in a slight chuckle and Ahvir could tell she had turned her attention back to Caleb.

"I guess we have no choice then?"

Once more, a pause as Caleb gathered his thoughts, "It certainly appears that way ja."

Beauregard grumbled and Ahvir could hear her turn on her heels, "I'll tell the others."

Ahvir raised her eyes once more to see Beauregard leaning up against the wall next to the door, watching her once more. She clearly didn't want to leave Caleb alone with her and she couldn't blame her. She had attacked both of them…

"We are planning on staying a few days though. We kind of just got here and have shit we need to do first. So, I guess stay in contact. We should be leaving within the week. You staying here?"

Ahivir nodded.

"Great," Beauregard stated folding her arms, "then we'll come get you in a few days when we're ready to leave." As her sentence came to a close another palpable silence over took the room. Ahvir just looked between Caleb and his companion. Was this really happening? Did she actually find a way out?! It wasn't until Beauregard motioned with her eyes towards the door did Ahvir get the hint that it was time for her to leave.

She cleared her throat awkwardly and nodded toward Beauregard. She stole one last look towards Caleb. His face was crestfallen but his eyes were softer, a bit broken but with an air of contempt as if he had seen the road she was walking and completely understood her decisions. She smiled a half broken smile at him as she left his personal space and backed towards the window.

"Th-thank you." she said both to Caleb and Beauregard. She was grateful… she was actually elated but she refused to show that emotion until she was completely free from danger. She moved quickly towards the window, opening up the window as she did.

"Oh, um," she turned partially around to face the two of them once more. "Sorry about that…" She pointed to both the withering vine in the corner and to her own throat to indicate the knife she had threatened Caleb with. Before they could answer, Ahvir's form was covered in green magic as her white owl form took shape. She took one last glimpse behind before she hopped up onto the windowsill and flew out into the night sky, back towards her own room.

The rain had finally stopped.

* * *

A/N;

Please feel free to leave Kudos, comments, bookmarks, and all those other lovely things! They really do keep me motivated to keep writing! Also, sharing is caring ;)

I know a lot happens in this chapter but you do have two very untrusting characters trying to trust each other lol I hope you enjoy!

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	5. Breaking Isolation

Back to the isolation of her solo room. Back to cold, fireless shelter. Back to her thoughts. Shapeshifting out of her bird form once more, Ahvir collapsed on her bed. Exhaustion was over taking her more quickly than she had thought. Was it because she hadn't been eating much? Maybe it was the lack of good, deep sleep. Maybe it was her paranoia that kept adrenaline constantly coursing through. What ever the reason, even doing simple magic was draining. Perhaps though, the sleepless nights would be over. Perhaps, soon, she'd be able to find a small amount of comfort and compassion with her new traveling group.

She closed her eyes as her mind wandered to Caleb and his circus friends she had spied earlier. What were they like? Were they as colorful as their exteriors? More importantly, would they be willing to protect her until she got to freedom. She had blackmailed them sure, so they would take her on their little adventure out of the Empire but that didn't mean they had to protect her from danger. It was no skin off their nose's if she died in a freak Goblin attack.

She chuckled at the thought of her falling in combat to measly goblins. She might only be a mage but she had been Archmage Ormid Hass's direct student. She was breed and trained to be better. She was not someone to be trifled with. A deep breath and she felt her body ache once more. Well, maybe with her current condition, she wasn't as powerful as she could be… She shook her head clear of that notion. She could fight through the pain and exhaustion! What on earth had they 'trained' her for. Being an underling was a great honor but the training to become one was harsh, brutal, torturous even… Just because she had been on the run for multiple months now, with little to no sleep and scraps for food… she had had it much worse in 'boot camp'.

The Assembly wanted hardened mages. Mages who knew true pain and suffering so that they would know how to handle to pressure. Only the ones who graduated from this 'boot camp' were even eligible for being handpicked by an Assembly member. Each member had their own personal 'boot camp' so one had to pick which member they wanted to be under the most. Ahvir hadn't thought of it before but the idea of not getting picked after going through their own personal hell… would be a bit devastating. She couldn't be quite sure, but she was sure that the Assembly, and indeed the Academy, would have positions for the ones that survived 'boot camp' but weren't chosen. It would be a great waste of newly hardened mages if they didn't….

The worse part of her 'boot camp' was when she had to face the illusion of her family. All together for once in their lives. Her mother, a walking painting and too gorgeous to describe, lived under the Empires protection. She was a refugee from Xhorhas and lived in a very secluded and extremely well protected corner of Rexxentrum. This corner, dubbed "The Safe House", was a place where ex-Xhorhasian's could live safe within the Empire. As long as they kept fierce loyalty to the crown and would always answer to it's beck and call, they were protected and left alone. It had been a freak accident when her mother and father had met. Father, being the devilishly handsome high elf and a traveling performer who wowed the crowd with his control over the Earth itself, had bumped into Mother as she had been making her way through the alleys. The rest was history but they could never truly be together. He had to travel and she had to stay secluded… Drow weren't the most welcomed of races after all. So, following in her mother's wishes, Father had picked up the baby Ahvir on a return trip and raised her on the open road to see the world. Wash, rinse, repeat.

Her family had never been truly together so to see an image of her three family members holding each other was already and image beyond what she could imagine. Even though they lived different lives, Father and Mother looked perfect together. Pure love and admiration flowing between their gazes. The intensity of their passion towards each other was almost enough to make Ahvir blush. They turned they attention to the little girl standing between them. White hair, bright lavender eyes, this was definitely their daughter alright. Unlike Ahvir though, who had definitely taken after her Father in terms of features, this girl's features were almost an identical copy of her angelic mother. She smiled up at her parents, then all three of them had turned their eyes to Ahvir, inviting her to come be with the family. To finally make the family whole for once in their lives.

However, Ahvir hadn't moved. She had been instructed not to. She was in 'boot camp' after all and this was her final. She wouldn't blow her chance at becoming a candidate for Master Hass. She had watched as suddenly her family was torn asunder, quite litterally. three spears had penetrated her mother, one through the stomache, another through the chest, and one through the back of her head and out through her mouth. Her Father screamed to catch his falling love but soon his voice was gone as well as his body split perfectly down the middle. The two sides of her father crumpled to the floor with a horrid squelching sound. The little girl ran toward Ahvir and hid behind her legs, fear wracking her small body as she stared up at her attacker.

It had been Master Hass. Master Hiss and his guards with their bloodied swords and weapons. He calmed strolled up to her as the little girl grabbed tighter onto her leg. Ahvir put a protective arm around her as she watched Master Hass approach. His smile hadn't changed from his usual demeanor. Without acknolwing Ahvir's presence, he pointed a finger at the little girl and a blackish green energy began to form at the tip. Ahvir quickly put herself directly in front of Master Hiss and the girl. Was Master Hass truly going to murder a little girl?!

"Stand aside student." His voice was calm, almost as if he was ordering a cup of tea.

"She's a child you can't expect me-"

"They are traitors to the Emipire. To the Assembly." His eyes broke from the girl to focused on Ahvir's. They were kind but they could freeze even the hottest fire. Power radiated from his very gaze that it almost made Ahivr crumple to her knees under it's weight. "To you my student. They have betrayed you. Betrayed the Empire you have fought so hard for. Betrayed your trust, your love."

Ahvir hesitated…

"Stand aside." The glow on his finger intesified. She knew exposing the child would result in immediate death. There was no blocking that spell… She had barely survived it herself, how could she expect this girl to… But they had betrayed her… her Empire…

So she stood aside.

Ahvir had passed her final exam…

She wiped away the tears that had begun pouring down her face. It had only been an illusion, she knew that now… But it had been so real… More intense than than even her parents gaze. And she had allowed them to be murdered. She didn't even try to help them… It was thanks to this exam, Ahvir had sent one final letter to her family, saying she didn't know when she would see or talk to them again. She had to distance herself from them… She had just killed them in her exam after all…

Just because she had stopped her correspondence with them, didn't mean they stopped writing. It took a couple of years but finally Ahvir was able to read their letters once more without seeing their blood on her hands. Her return letters were short but at least having contact with them was helping her heal. She never did tell them everything that she was experiencing. She didn't want them too know… She wanted to keep them as safe as they could be. Wanted to make sure that they never figured out the inner workings so if they ever thought about betraying the Empire, they had no knowledge from her…

But life is a bit ironic… for she ended up wearing the title of traitor…

Another deep sigh. How long had it been?

Squeak.

Ahvir's eyes slowly opened as the animals noise hit her ears. Glancing over, there was a new visitor to her room. A small mouse was now sitting on her bed, right next to her shoulder. Any other person would have freaked out at the sight but Ahvir's soul was connected with animals. She simply smiled and looked at the mouse inquisitorially. Then she saw the sparkle of magic in its eyes.

A message.

A mixture of fear and curiosity began to pump through her veins as she sat up and took the mouse in her hands. She knew this spell couldn't be traced and she was sure that she was still completely hidden from unwanted eyes. As the fear faded, a smile grew to replace it. She knew who this was from. She stroked the tiny creatures head as its mouth opened slightly. A young, girlish tone soon filled the small space as the magic activated.

Sister. It's so good to hear from you! I've missed you terribly. Father has informed me of everything you would let him know. I have news for you as well… I know your hiding so I figured this spell would suite your situation better… I don't know where you are but I hope you're ok… I have just arrived in Zadash as you requested. I await your reply. Stay hidden, stay safe.

As the magic dissipated, the mouse suddenly gave a loud squeak and jumped out of Ahvir's hand, onto the bed, then the floor, then out of sight.

Another deep sigh but this time, it was lighter.

More reinforcements. She had to make sure her family stayed safe… she wouldn't ask them to pick up their lives and escaped with her but she could make sure they were informed as much as they could be so they could continue their lives safe in the knowledge that she was alright. She didn't know when, or if, she would ever see her family again… This would be her last time seeing her father and sister.

Maybe it was selfish, but she just wanted to see them… one more time…

First she needed to find a place to meet, but even before that she needed to deal with her 'party members'.

To be honest, she was surprised they had let her go. She had just blackmailed Caleb and yet they had wanted her to leave. Well, they knew her blackmail was a double edged sword… but still. If it was her, she wouldn't let her blackmailer out of her sight.

She just needed to see her family then she could leave the Empire with a clear mind. Beauregard had said they were planning on staying in the city for a few days so that did buy her some time…

The sooner they left Zadash, the better… The sooner this scroll disappeared into the world and became a lost artifact… the better.

How much time had passed?

What was the news sister had mentioned?

How was Father? He had been getting up there in age, even for a high Elf. He was more powerful than his older frame would let on. Ahvir was always so amazing at how nimble and powerful his magic was when she was younger. She had wondered how an Arch Druid of Tal'dorei found his way to Wildmount and joined up with a band of traveller but she knew better than to ask. He had been so proud that she had inherited his enormous gift for the Druidic arts and had been very hands on with helping her control it. She couldn't even begin to describe the joy that had poured from him when she had received her acceptance letter to the Academy. You either had to be very rich or very talented to be accepted and seeing as how she was raised with a group of traveling gypsies, her magical abilities must have really impressed them. Her father had gathered everything in his power to help send her to her new life. He had been so proud of her… He had always been proud of her… and he was still proud of her.

How was Mother? Was she helping in the investigation to find her? She had no choice but to be loyal to the Empire… Would she try and skirt around them to protect the daughter she barely knew?

How much time had passed…

A rap on the door.

Color drains from Ahvir's face as her blood turns to ice. She wasn't expecting visitors.

"Classmate?" the familiar Zemnian accent breaks through the her slight panic. Breathing a sigh of relief, Ahvir makes her way to the door. Bending down, she sees two extra pair of feet accompanying Caleb's dirty boots.

"Who is there with you?"

"Some of the other travellers."

Hesitantly, the door opens slowly with Ahvir poking one of her eyes through the crack. There he was, still as ragged as ever with Beauregard by his side. The third pair of feet she had to look far down to find. It was childish girl that had gone off with the blue tie fling and the brawny pale woman earlier. Reaffirming that this was everyone, Ahvir opened the door wider to greet them all.

"I wasn't expecting visitors."

"Um… ja. Well I was able to find you by watching where you flew and with the deceptive skills of my friend here." He gestures haphazardly towards the little girl, who raised her head in acknowledgment and waved.

It wasn't a little girl… It was a Goblin.

"She has saved my life multiple times so yes, she's a goblin but that doesn't matter. She an invaluable member to the team." The swiftness of Caleb's response to Ahvir's distrustful look spoke volumes. So he's had to defend this rat on multiple occasions. She must be very valuable to him then.

Ahvir rolled her eyes slightly as she rested on the door frame. She spoke nothing. Just awaiting their reason for being here.

"Um… ja, well we came here because, the group talked… and um… we think… well I think that it would be a good idea, some of them are worried but they'd feel better-"

"They want to meet you and have you stay with us." Beauregard interrupted, clearly tired of Caleb's awkward beating around the bush.

At this, Ahvir raised an eyebrow. Stay with them? She guessed it made sense seeing as how she was threatening one of their party members and would be traveling with them soon. But still… that was an awfully fast response time. Or maybe, she had been lost in thought for much longer than she had previously thought. How many hours had it been?

"Stay with you? So you can watch me?" Ahvir's tone was a bit sarcastic but genuine none the less.

"Pretty much." Bearegaurd stated without a hint of compassion, "They also want to meet their new traveling companion."

Ahvir sighed once more and glanced back into her room. She really didn't have anything to pack up because everything she had, she was wearing. While she didn't trust his group yet, she did trust Caleb. He had promised to help her and seemed to understand the desperation in her eyes. She could care less if his group liked her, all they needed to do was get her to safety. Earning, even just a small amount of their trust would make this go a lo smoother she knew…

She'd have to be rooming with them soon anyway.

Ahvir nodded and moved to join them in the hallway, closing the door behind her. Beauregard looked confused but Ahvir just shrugged.

"I don't have anything else except what you see."

Beauregard still looked a bit confused.

"Life on the run." Caleb whispered under his breath so quietly Ahvir almost missed it. Beauregard's face didn't change very much, in fact it twisted into more confusion but finally settled on a shrug, probably assuming she'd learn more once they were with the others. She would be wrong in that assumption if Ahvir had her way. The less they knew, the safer it would be for them.

Caleb looked between Ahvir and Beauregard for a second, sensing the strain in the air before clearing his throat.

"This way then." and he started off down the hallway towards the stairs. Bearegaurd looked down her nose at the Elf before her, clearly waiting for Ahvir to start ahead of her so that she would become sandwiched between the two humans. Ahvir wasn't about to fight an escort and she started after Caleb. To her surprise though, the Goblin kept pace with her, keeping to her right side as they walked.

A few minutes of silence as they made their way down the hall and down two flights of stairs. Ahvir was busy keeping a look out for possible escape routes, ways to escape if need be.

 _"_ _You know Caleb from the Academy right?"_

A gravely small girls voice suddenly invaded her thoughts. She immediately recognized the feeling on magic in her mind and her eyes glanced back towards Beauregard. She was busy walking a bit behind her and the Goblin, eyeing her every movement. Funny… if it wasn't Beauregard.. Without moving her head, her eyes snapped down towards the Goblin. To her surprise, she could see that she had a piece of wire in her grasp that was held up to her mouth. The wire twinkled with a hint of simple magic.

The Goblin knows magic. Intriguing.

" _You can reply to this message."_

Ahvir inadvertently cracked a smile at the Goblin's naivety. She knew how this simple piece of magic worked. Her and her sister used to use it when they were children when they didn't want Father to know. It was also very useful in class for 'passing notes'.

 _"_ _I am aware."_ Ahvir answered in her mind, her tone light still mentally lifted from the Goblin's previous statement.

A moment before the same spell invaded her mind once more.

 _"_ _So the Academy? Were you in the same class?!"_

She had forgotten to answer her first question! Ahvir had been so stunned that a Goblin could use magic and amused by her naivety of it that she had forgotten her initial question.

 _"_ _Yes. Caleb and I were the best of friends before he went off with Master Ikithon for private training. I, um, don't mean to be rude but, how does a Goblin know magic?"_

 _"_ _Caleb taught me! To make sure we could always communicate even if we were far away."_

Caleb had taught a Goblin magic? Interesting… This Goblin must really mean a lot to him then.

 _"_ _I'm Nott the Brave."_ Another magical message. This Goblin, Nott the Brave, seemed very proficient at this particular spell. Nott's eyes looked expectant as they looked up at her. Wide and yellow, full of curiousity, mistrust, but yet also welcoming. It was a very odd combination.

Was she waiting for Ahvir to introduce herself? If Caleb had talked about her already to his group, didn't he already give them her name?

Guess not. _"I'm Ahvir. Nice to meet you_ Nott _the brave."_

 _"_ _It's just Nott."_ and she gave a very sharp toothy grin up to the elf. Ahvir just nod slightly in response to the abnormal sight.

Finally, Caleb stopped outside of a door and waited for the rest of the group to catch up Ahvir just managing to catch Nott secretly slipping the wire back into an inner coat pocket.

As they all gathered together, Caleb gave her a very quick reassuring glance and, without any form of flurry or flair, pulled the door open.

A/N;

Please feel free to leave Kudos, comments, bookmarks, and all those other lovely things! Remember sharing is caring! I hope you are all enjoying the story/mystery so far. Please share with the Critter community! This is a fun project to work on (and read hopefully) while we await Thursday/Monday! Critters unite!

Clarification on how to read the ending; A quotation in Italics, is a sentence said in the mind. So when Nott using the message spell, you'll know when someone is actually saying something aloud and when one is speaking in their minds! As pointed out in the comments, yes that's not technically how the spells works (because it's not telepathy, it is whispering) but I'm using my author/DM powers to tweak the spell a bit :)

It was nice to finally open up a bit of backstory for Ahvir. Just a glimpse. I took a lot of inspiration of the 'final exam' from Caleb's backstory and expanded it. To me, it would be horrifying to figure out that what Caleb and his other friends went through was actually the 'bootcamp'/final exam all potential underlings of Masters had to go through except tweaked slightly. Of course Sir. Ikithon's is probably the most brutal and messed up but I decided to exand on that idea!

Next chapter; finally, all the Mighty Nein members while finally be in one place and meeting their new 'assignment'. This will be fun :)

Also, just in case this wasn't clear, there is going to be a lot of speculation! None of this is canon! This is all my original story that doesn't go against canon but has a lot of personal speculation/theroies thrown in :)

Also, throughout the week, I go back into the chapter's and fix any grammar/spelling mistakes I find so don't worry, I will be fixing all this I didn't catch the first time around!

Catch Critical Role live on their twitch channel, /criticalrole, on Thursdays at 7pm PST

Is it Thursday yet?


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